In the production of microelectronic devices, metal may be plated on a substrate for a variety of purposes. Typically, metal is plated on the substrates in cells or reservoirs that hold a plating solution that includes at least one metal to be plated on the substrate.
Composition of plating baths and conditions within the plating bath must be carefully controlled to produce deposition of a desired quality of desired metal(s) on a substrate. Plating rate, uniformity, and deposit quality may be affected by a variety of factors. For example, among the parameters that may affect rate, uniformity, and deposit quality of plating are concentration of chemicals in the plating bath, nature and distribution of electrical contacts and voltage within the plating system. The physical design of an electroplating system may affect the conditions within the system and the plating carried out in the system.